Piperade with Poached Eggs

Piperade is a Basque staple made with bell peppers, onion, tomatoes, and espelette pepper. The green, white, and red vegetables in the sauce look like the Basque flag. Similar to shakshuka, the eggs are gently poached in the sauce. Feel free to skip the eggs entirely, and serve the piperade as a condiment with fish (like cod or halibut) or chicken.

(Espelette pepper may be hard to find in the States. If you can’t find it, substitute smoked paprika.)

Piperade with Poached Eggs
serves 2-4

shopping list —

• smoked paprika butter

• 1 onion, julienned

• 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced  

• 1 red pepper, julienned

• 1 green pepper, julienned

• espelette pepper

• 2 tbsp tomato paste

• 1 can (400 g/14 oz)  san marzano tomatoes, hand-crushed

• balsamic or sherry vinegar

• eggs

equipment —

• sauté pan or skillet

steps —

1. Sauté the onion until soft and gently caramelized in the smoked paprika butter*. Add the garlic.

2. Add the bell peppers and sauté until soft.

3. Add the espelette.

4. Add the tomato paste and stir, allowing to cook for 1-2 minutes.

5. Add the crushed can tomatoes and cook gently until sauce-like. Season with red wine vinegar and salt.

6. Make a nest for the eggs. Cover to steam until the whites are opaque but the yolk is still runny. Serve with toast or baguette.

*Once again, paprika burns pretty easily so be gentle with your heat as you make this recipe to avoid having a bitter sauce.